Scalable, electro-optically induced force system and method

Abstract

A technique is disclosed for electro-optically inducing a force to fabricated samples and/or devices with laser light. The technique uses the interaction of the oscillating electric field of the laser beam in opposition with the electric field produced by an appropriate electric charge carrier to achieve a net repulsive (or attractive) force on the component holding the electric charge. In one embodiment, force is achieved when the field near the charge carrier is modulated at a subharmonic of the electric field oscillation frequency of the laser and the relative phases of the light field and electric charge carrier field are controlled to provide optimal repulsion/attraction. The effect is scalable by applying the technique to an array of charge carrier fields sequentially as well as using higher power lasers and higher carrier field voltages.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A signal processing circuit, comprising:
 a coupling circuit having a first input, a second input, a first output, and a second output, wherein the coupling circuit is adapted to receive a signal onto the first input, wherein the signal has a wavelength, wherein the second input and the second output form part of a delay path, wherein the coupling circuit has a plurality of electrical paths, wherein the signal travels through the coupling circuit via one of the electrical paths, and wherein any of the electrical paths is an integer multiple of the wavelength of the signal. 
 
     
     
       2. The signal processing circuit of  claim 1 , wherein each electrical path extends from one of the inputs of the coupling circuit to one of the outputs of the coupling circuit. 
     
     
       3. The signal processing circuit of  claim 2 , wherein the coupling circuit has a set of splitter/combiner elements configured to split and recombine the signal into sub-elements such that the recombination of the sub-elements occurs with signal sub-elements offset by one or more signal cycles. 
     
     
       4. The signal processing circuit of  claim 3 , wherein a number of splitter/combiner elements is two or greater. 
     
     
       5. The signal processing circuit of  claim 1 , wherein each electrical path available to the signal is any integer multiple of the wavelength of the signal. 
     
     
       6. The signal processing circuit of  claim 1 , wherein the delay path is part of one of the electrical paths. 
     
     
       7. The signal processing circuit of  claim 1 , wherein the delay path is a conductor, and wherein the delay path is determined in part from a length of the conductor. 
     
     
       8. A system comprising:
 a charge carrier configured to carry a desired charge distribution; and 
 a radiation source configured to interact with the charge carrier such that a force is produced on the charge carrier, wherein the desired charge distribution is not a consequence of the radiation source illuminating the charge carrier. 
 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8 , wherein an electromagnetic field of the charge carrier is time-variant. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the radiation source is a coherent radiation source. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 8 , wherein an electromagnetic field of the charge carrier is phase modulated. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 8 , wherein an electromagnetic field of the radiation source is phase modulated. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 8 , wherein an electromagnetic field of the radiation source is directed through a first medium across a first distance, wherein the first medium has a first index of refraction, wherein the electromagnetic field is directed through a second medium across a second distance, and wherein the first index of refraction is different from the second index of refraction. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 8 , wherein an electromagnetic field of the radiation source is directed through an aperture in a conductive medium, the conductive medium partially screening an electromagnetic field of the charge carrier. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 8 , further comprising a mirror positioned in the path of the coherent radiation source and configured to retro-reflect the laser light. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the radiation source is a laser. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the charge carrier is a plurality of charge carriers configured so as to induce a force at each or any element in the plurality. 
     
     
       18. The system of  claim 8 , wherein a time variation of an electromagnetic field of the charge carrier is a non-sinusoidal wave. 
     
     
       19. A method, comprising:
 (a) generating a first electromagnetic field carried by a member of a system; and 
 (b) generating a second electromagnetic field with a radiating device, wherein the second electromagnetic field interacts with the first electromagnetic field thereby producing a net force on the member and on the system. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19 , wherein the radiating device is a laser, wherein the generating of the second electromagnetic field in (b) involves using the laser to generate a laser beam that carries the second electromagnetic field, and wherein the radiating device is not used to generate the first electromagnetic field.